Here we go again...

Read the following article and ask:

How much interest expense is the City of Grand Terrace paying to hold onto a 5 Million RDA Reserve Funds (Funded by Debt).

Do we really want the City of Grand Terrace to Be in Business of Development?
Are the Property Owners selling without being pressured, by the City, adversely affected by Zoning Limitations and Plan Requirements? Only to see those Codes and Zonning requiements changed by the City when it is their Prefered Contractor/Developer doing the development.

Were these prices offered toNon RDA Market? How much is the “Fair Market” Value of the property? No property purchased by the RDA should be a exclusive negotiation or back room deal.

Library? Haven't we heard that one before? Where is the Library they used to justify the threat of the use of Eminent Domain? How about free WiFi for the entire city… that would be less costly and used more. We don’t need a library to rent movies… We need a Youth Center/Tutorial Center for ages 13 to 18… or a Home Business Development Center. We don’t need a big building with some one’s name on it, filled with movies to rent. We need an after school center for Teens.

Grand Terrace scooping up land
Stephen Wall, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/22/2009 03:27:24 PM PST

GRAND TERRACE - The city has big plans for Barton Road, even in the midst of a recession.
Officials are in the process of buying up property along the most heavily traveled thoroughfare in town.

The goal is to begin assembling land for future projects that could include a new library, commercial or medical buildings.

"We're concerned that Barton Road will just become piecemeal development," said Acting City Manager Steve Berry . "We're trying to assemble properties for developers to come in and build larger projects."

Last week, the City Council approved spending $360,000 to purchase a 14,162-square-foot parcel just west of City Hall. The property includes a vacant building that previously housed a Circle K and later a dental product manufacturer.

The council agreed to spend an additional $30,000 for escrow costs, environmental work, asbestos and lead-based paint testing, as well as to demolish the building.

The site would be good for a library or other civic use because it is only about 100 yards from City Hall, Berry said.

At Tuesday's meeting, the council will consider an agreement to buy another property about a mile to the west. City staff members have finished negotiations to buy a 19,032-square-foot vacant parcel on the north side of Barton just east of Vivienda Avenue.

The agreed-upon purchase price is nearly $200,000, but staff members are requesting that the council set aside a total of $215,000, which includes escrow costs and environmental work.
The revenue source for both purchases is city Redevelopment Agency funds. Even with the two purchases, the city still has about $5 million in redevelopment reserves, Berry said.

Berry recently met with Loma Linda Councilman Ovidiu Popescu about expanding that city's fiber-optic network into Grand Terrace.

Grand Terrace wants to attract medical facilities affiliated with Loma Linda University Medical Center and the Jerry L. Pettis Memorial Veterans Medical Center.

-stephen.wall@inlandnewspapers.com, (909) 386-3916